Essaouira - Set Free by the Sea

The people of the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round. The people of the bus go round and round all the way to town. The never-ending bus sojourn continued as we bumped and bobbed our way to Essaouira. I had it on good authority that the small seaside town was going to be a highlight on our agenda, and for once, I was not disappointed!

Pulling up to the walls of the old town, we walked down a narrow alley to our hotel where we were able to drop our bags and head out on our for a glorious 1.5 days of free time. And we didn't even need to take lifesaving water or flashlights with us to escape! Hooray!

Off we ran down the alleys to the main plaza for a much-needed and well-deserved beer on a sunny patio. Best. Afternoon. Ever.

Needing the opportunity to stretch our legs, we took a stroll down the lovely, long, white sand beach to take in the sunset. Is it weird that I was disappointed tourists can no longer visit the former prison out on the island? We were told it was like the Moroccan Alcatraz, but now it's a wildlife sanctuary, primarily for seabirds, so I guess I can't complain too much.

Ang quickly caught the attention of an enterprising salesman pushing painted leather canvases. It was no surprise as I swear Ang has a beacon that blasts "Sell me all your wares" - a siren song to merchants. Whereas I think my face broadcasts either a solid and continual look of "derp derp I probably need help" or a fierce resting bitch-face that says "I will end you".

After buying up arms full of canvases and connecting with the Somali merchant on WhatsApp, we headed toward the pier for a touted Essaouira treat - a fresh fish meal selected from stalls and grilled to order.

I'm not sure who became the bigger picture of gluttony, us or this chubster cat lounging on a bench. We easily snarfed down a four or five course fish feast. I kind of lost count as we were pointing at selections in the stall. Thus begins the eating tour of eating in Essaouira.

Although I bummed myself out when I figured out one of the "prawns" we bought was actually a mantis shrimp. Mantis shrimp are super cool! I love seeing them while night diving, and they're fascinating. Their claws pack a punch - technically around the same force as a .22 calibre bullet. They use these club-like appendages to stun or dismember their prey and predators. Beyond their impressive boxing skills, they have eyeballs that move independently of one another and have the most complex vision system in the animal kingdom. Each independent eye has trinocular vision and depth perception. Humans see colours because we have three colour-receptive cones in our eyes. Mantis shrimps have sixteen cones - they can see ultraviolet, far-red and polarized light. We can't even fathom what they see! They also process most visual information in their eyes rather than their brains. I think the Oatmeal may have explained mantis shrimp's awesome powers best (or at least in the most entertaining way).

Uncomfortably full, we headed back to our lovely rooftop patio for a night cap. Tomorrow we have all day to run around this small port town, free of the confines of the bus.